PANAJI
Film buffs can look forward to whole new experience during the International Film Festival of India that gets underway on Sunday.
Although this year's edition has been reduced to nine days, officials involved in the organising of the festival have assured delegates that the festival would be nothing short of a carnival of movies, masterclasses and workshops.
Announcing the highlights of IFFI 2016, Directorate of Film Festival Director, Senthil Rajan, informed that 300 films from 90 countries will be screened over the next nine days. The festival will be inaugurated in the presence of Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, M Venkaiah Naidu, along with Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Col Rajyavardhan Rathore.
The Chief Guest for the inaugural will be Indian director Ramesh Sippy, best known for the film Sholay. The opening film will be Polish film 'Afterimage' directed by Andrzej Wajda. Korean director Im Kwon-taek will be awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
“It's been over 12 years we’ve been organising the festival in Goa. It will be the best of world and Indian cinema. IFFI this year will set up a history of sorts with the number of gala screenings of films. The highlight will be four world premiers and six international premiers with the entire cast of the films expected to be in Goa,” informed Rajan. 26 Asian premiers and 104 Indian premiers are also lined up.
As a first time for the festival, three audio described films will be screened for disabled children along with workshops on how to make these sort of films. Masterclasses by well-known directors as well as workshops in collaboration with film makers from the Oscar Academy as well as in conversation series have been planned.
The festival has so far received a total of over 7,000 delegate registrations, of which over 3,000 have paid registration fees.
ESG Chief Executive Officer Ameya Abhyankar said that in addition to the main event, non delegates will also be able to benefit from the festival.
“Along the entire stretch from Kala Academy to the Children’s park, there are screenings and entertainment events lined up for non delegates that don’t have access to the films being screened at the venue,” he said.
The Children’s Film Village at the Children’s Park will feature children’s films, along with cultural and entertainment programmes.
20 other screening venues have been identified, 10 each in North and South Goa. In the North, Miramar beach will sport a large screen that will show movies like Airlift and Sairat.
This year, the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) will offer three courses for students who weren’t able to afford or participate in the Film Baazar that will be be held simultaneously with IFFI.
***
IFFI permanent venue by 2019: Abhyankar
PANAJI: ESG Chief Executive Officer Ameya Abhyankar on Saturday said the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) that is annually held in the state in the month of November would receive a permanent venue by the year 2019.
Speaking to mediapersons during the IFFI 2016 curtain raiser, Abhyankar said a permanent IFFI convention centre was on the cards that would need an investment of between Rs 1,000 and 1,500 crore.
“We are currently looking at several models that have been popular worldwide and then see how we can merge it with Goa emerging as an event destination. In the last one and half year, we have organised Defence Expo and BRICS, and thus have the potential for organising such events,” he said.
Abhyankar said the land for the project was already in the possession of the government and was currently in the research phase to see which model would best suit the State as an event destination. The entire project is expected to be complete by 2019 to coincide with the 50th celebrations of IFFI.
He also said the project that will include a multiplex with 12 to 15 screens and a grand hall will be funded on a PPP basis. The plan is to develop the entire area as an entertainment hub.
***
New technologies to make a premier at IFFI
PANAJI: Several new technologies in the film industry will be introduced at this year’s event of the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI). For the first time this year, IFFI will screen the entire international film section using laser projections.
Barco, who are leaders in laser projection, will undertake the plan of projecting the films using the new technology. Also making a first technology wise, delegates visiting the festival will be given RFID cards that will enable organisers to gauge trends during the festival.
“This year, we have introduced RFID cards which will help in generating a heat map and give us an idea on the popular movies. Just in case, there is also a bar code on the cards,” said ESG Chief Executive Officer Ameya Abhyankar.
Virtual Reality (VR) will also be given a special segment with popular film Bhahubali being screened at the festival.
